Where He Belonged
by Chelle Isyrian
Summary: So this one is a carry on from How Naru Found Her, and basically it's nothin' but angst and then fluff, which is always a great combination. Umbrella verse as always. NaruxMai


**Hey look, another Ghost Hunt one-shot. I'm eventually going to put these all together into one thing, though not until I'm finished. I've had this one and a few more sitting on my computer waiting to be freed for a while, but I've been busy until now so yes.**

**Anyway, as always, enjoy, R&R, I don't own, blah blah blah.**

**But no seriously, I love getting feedback. So y'know, if you want more of this, then review O_O**

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Naru delicately grabbed the tea Mai offered him, studying his former assistant and friend. He'd arrived at her apartment and knocked for a good ten minutes when a neighbour of Mai's had asked him if she was all right. They had then explained to Naru about all the shattering noises. Naru had promptly kicked the door opened and rushed inside, fearing the worst for his danger-magnet of a friend. Seeing the mess everywhere, but no Mai, he'd walked cautiously to her bedroom, in to the alarming sight of her curled in a ball on the floor, her face hidden by her clenched fists. Panic seized him and he ran to the girl, saying her name repeatedly until she responded. Her response being to sit up and promptly deliver a hard punch to his face. So now, Naru sat in Mai's trashed apartment, a bruise forming ion his face, watching Mai shuffle around and silently begin to tidy her apartment. He studied her closely as she moved, noting she looked thinner than before. She was also paler than usual, and seemed to have permanent tear tracks down her face. She also refused to look at him.

Mai moved around her apartment, resisting the strong urge to look at her ex-boss, who was sitting only a few meters away, watching her. She focused back on her task of cleaning her apartment, appalled at the damage she had done. No matter how angry she had been in the past, whether at Naru or something else entirely, she'd never broken anything, or thrown a fit of this magnitude. It scared her, especially knowing she'd reacted like this because Masako had only confirmed her fears that Naru thought she was useless and pathetic. However, as she thought back to it, the medium seemed to radiate guilt as she said it. She decided she'd call Masako later and talk to her, sort out what happened. In the mean time, she had the recently returned Naru to contend with. Speaking of which, Mai surreptitiously peeked out of the corner of her eyes to see Naru watching her intently. She hurried and finished cleaning, putting the broken plates and cups in a haphazard pile by the door, and jamming any remaining clothes in her clothesbasket. Afterwards she silently sat at the other end of the couch to Naru and stared blankly at the wall, wondering if he would talk or sit there.

Naru watched Mai sit and begin to stare at the wall in front of her, looking uncomfortable as hell. He watched her while he finished his tea, then rose to his feet. He saw Mai flinch slightly as he moved, and walked to her, standing in front of her. He dropped into a crouch, until he was slightly below Mai's eye level.

"What's wrong Mai." He whispered, studying her face. She slowly moved her eyes to look at him, but the bland look on her face stayed the same. She said nothing, just stared at him. Sighing he stood again, this time sitting directly next to her. In a move very much un-Naru like, he put his arms around her and she shifted without resistance, until she was nearly sitting in his lap, with her head on his chest. They sat like that for a long time, neither talking nor doing anything. "I'm sorry." He continued, still whispering. "I'm sorry I left you." his throat tightened as he felt Mai shudder, and he realized she'd started crying. He tightened his hold on her as her sobs grew louder and heavier. Mai gripped his shirt, bunching it up into her face until all she could see was black material. "I shouldn't have left you."

Naru didn't know how long they'd sat there, his arm around the crying girl. Eventually he felt her relax, the tensing leaving her, and he assumed she'd fallen asleep. Soft snores confirmed his theory, so he moved to pick her up and take her to her bed. But when he made to get off the couch, she moved, wrapping her arms around his waist, still sleeping. With her change in position, it became harder for Naru to maneuver her into a position where he could pick her up. He glared down at the girl in exasperation, and shuffled himself into a more comfortable position and closed his eyes, listening to her steady breathing. He sat there and thought of his decision to come back to Japan.

_He'd been sitting at the desk in his old room, back in England. His mother Luella was talking to him about some function or another, he wasn't particularly listening. It was then he'd received a phone call from a VERY pissed of Ayako. She'd screamed his ear off through the phone about how he was an ass and that if he didn't get his butt back to Japan and fix Mai she was going to fly herself to England and drag him back by the ear. He'd been surprised, turning horrified as she told him about Mai's behavior over the past month. Sure, he knew she had a crush on him; it was obvious with all her staring and near drooling. However, he figured she'd move on after he'd left and find someone else. He never expected to be called a month later and be told that she was almost catatonic because of him. His mother, still being in the room and able to hear Ayako's screams through the phone, quickly caught on to what was happening. Kin had told her of Naru's little assistant, and she figured out, from what she was told, Naru didn't like this Mai Taniyama in a strictly platonic way. As soon as her son had hung up the phone, she jumped straight down his throat and packed his bags, putting him on the next flight back to Japan. Bewildered by this new turn of events, Naru spent the entire flight wondering what he was supposed to do when he arrived. He had found out a while ago that he thought of Mai as more than a friend, but he'd been too busy with finding Gene to act on it, and by the time he was no longer occupied with Gene's body, he was safely back home in England. So he shoved thoughts of Mai out of his mind, and for the next months, concentrated on catching up with everything he'd missed while he was away._

Mai woke to darkness, darkness that was warm and moved. Confused, she slowly shifter her head, and came face to face with a sleeping Naru. Startled, she looked around. She was in her apartment, on the floor in front of her couch. Naru had his arms and a leg wrapped around her like an octopus, and was quietly sleeping. She blushed and attempted to move, but his arms shifted and restricted her movement.

"Who said you could move."

Mai squealed and jumped, looking down to see Naru looking at her through one eye. Seeing she was once again immobile, he closed his eye, half-drifting back into sleep. Mai cautiously lay back down, laying her head back onto Naru's shoulder where it had been resting. She tried to think of how they'd gotten into this position. Her thoughts returned her to last night. She'd been crying when Naru showed up. She'd offered him tea, which he accepted, then cleaned her house. Afterwards she'd sat on the couch, where Naru had put his arms around her and told her he was sorry for leaving her. She remembered crying, but after that nothing. She must have fallen asleep. But why hadn't Naru left? Or even moved? _He must have felt sorry for you._ Her mind supplied, sneering at her. She frowned, and tears prickled at her eyes. It seemed the most likely answer, why else would he still be here? She couldn't help the tears the escaped and stilled as they dropped quietly onto Naru's shirt. She felt him tense, and his hand was suddenly at her face, wiping the tears away. She looked up at him, seeing him watch her carefully as he dried her face. "Please stop crying." He said gently. "I'm surprised you have any liquid left in you to cry out."

"Why are you here?" Mai said, looking at him. Naru paused, looking down.

"I told you," he said, frowning. "I shouldn't have left you." She blinked, not believing him.

"But why?"

Naru turned his gaze back to her and couldn't help but smile at the girl in front of him. She really was an idiot. He moved towards her, slowly so she could tell his intention, and say no if she wanted. But she didn't, and he continued forward until he was kissing her. She froze underneath him, and then it was as if she exploded into action. She kissed him back, hard and desperately, ore tears slipping out, though of what she didn't know. Naru moved his hands up, running one into her hair, the other pushing himself up and over until he was hovering over Mai, her head resting in his other palm. Mai moved her hands as well, grabbing his neck and hair, pulling him closer to her until he was pressed against her. He kissed her harder, needing to feel her against him. He realized then that forgetting Mai was the worst mistake he'd made. He should have come straight back here, and stayed here. Where he belonged.

With her.


End file.
